T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing molecule 3 (TIM3) is an immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily member, expressed on Th1 cells. TIM3 has been shown to play a role in modulating the immune response of Th1 cells, and reducing inflammation in a number of conditions.
TIM3 is also expressed on cancer cells, and on cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are cells that can give rise to additional cancer cells.
One of the major limitations of chemotherapy is the general inability of anticancer drugs to discriminate between normal and cancer cells. Almost all members of the major categories of antineoplastic agents have considerable toxicity for normal cells.
Compositions that specifically target cancer cells can avoid this problem. However, existing cancer targets do not target CSCs. For this reason, existing chemotherapeutic strategies, even when specifically delivered to cancer cells, do not effectively eliminate the cancer. Risk of recurrence remains because the surviving CSCs can give rise to new cancer cells.
Provided herein are anti-TIM3 antibodies that are rapidly internalized into TIM3 expressing cells. These antibodies provide novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for targeting TIM3-associated disorders.